the idea that a sex scene in fiction is fundamentally useless/simply for audience titillation UNLESS theyβre fucking infodumping exposition while they bone or something is so funny and myopic to me. like, you really genuinely believe for real that there is NOTHING to be gained about your understanding of a story or characters simply from how they approach and engage in sex? really for real?
i'm not convinced that art only has something to offer us when we personally want to participate in the activities being depicted
When I was like 6 I thought pizza looked sooo gross and sloppy and nasty it ANNOYED me every time an adult asked if I'd like some and I felt it necessary to tell them I would never ever ever even touch something soooo totally barfingly DISGUSTING as ANY PIZZA but you know what, I still enjoyed watching the ninja turtles, I still readily accepted that pizza just meant a lot to michelangelo as a person with a different experience from my own
....is a given character having sex as if they're experienced with intimacy? Do they seem confident or unsure of themselves? Are they taking charge or letting their partner lead things? Are they being affectionate in ways that aren't inherently sexual, such as kissing and cuddling? Do they do anything just for their partner or only seem to care about what feels good to themselves? Do they ever look at their partner or keep their eyes closed? Is it casual or intense? Aggressive or gentle?? Do they get totally naked or keep something on? Did they take any time to find somewhere more private or just dive into it with no concern? Was this spontaneous or was there prior indication that these characters were physically attracted to one another? How mutual did the attraction seem to be? Is it purely physical or is it *love?* Does that apply to all parties involved? Is this good for them? Does it have any significance to any of their other relationships? If so, do they care, and is any of the above affected by that? How many of these details align with what you already knew or felt about these characters, versus how many reveal a side to them they had been hiding?
I know the question is also just being silly, but it would even tell you a lot about a character if it turned out "position" and ""slurpiness" were the only factors that stood out to them about human intimacy. That'd basically be this guy:
Imagine thinking that wondering whether a character prefers to perform an intimate act facing their partner or not (or either on top or bottom) is an ironic jest and not an actual opportunity of exploring character development
